Chapter 783: Fleet in Being

The outcome of waiting is not always an equal return. The warships of the raiding squadron, after intercepting three merchant ships at sea and capturing them, could only return to base with a sense of helplessness. Their fleet had entered the edge of the operational radius of the enemy’s air power, and a patrolling British aircraft could already be seen on the horizon. So they had no choice but to leave, watching as the other few British ships were lucky enough to escape.

“Send a telegram to the nearby submarine units. Report the position where these transport ships were spotted,” an officer said to a radio operator after reading the same report. “Use the lowest level of security code.” The duty radio operator nodded and began to send the message.

In fact, the effectiveness of the German fleet’s hunting expeditions was really not as great as that of the submarine force’s kills. After all, although the fleet had a larger cruising radius and the carrier-based aircraft had a wider attack range, they were always restricted by the British and American land-based air power, and the combat results had never been very significant.

The Royal Navy had never sortied in force. The globally deployed British fleet was now slowly gathering. For example, two-thirds of the fleet that had retreated to the Indian Ocean was now taking the long way around the South Atlantic, attempting to rendezvous with the main British fleet between Canada and Iceland.

Unlike the navies of other countries at this time, the German Navy’s carrier fleet already had the prototype of a modern navy. For example, the electronic equipment on the carriers was already very extensive, including air combat command radar for defense, and search radar and other equipment were all available. The escort ships were also more professional, sufficient to deal with the British naval units.

What was even more terrifying was that the German Navy was already equipped with a new type of carrier-based night fighter-bomber, which could take off at night to intercept enemy aircraft and could also carry out simple night attack missions, carrying ammunition to attack approaching warships.

It could be said that if this fleet had appeared in the English Channel at that time, then the British Home Fleet would have suffered an even more tragic defeat, and it might even have been annihilated by the German carrier fleet at night. It would have been impossible for them to chase and almost eat the German fleet.

Lütjens once again took the reconnaissance report handed to him by his adjutant. The news sent back by the carrier-based pilots had already confirmed that no large-scale maritime transport fleet had appeared. It was very clear that this time the German Navy’s all-out sortie had once again failed to achieve its objective, and thousands of tons of fuel had been wasted for nothing.

“If the British and Americans aren’t stupid, their espionage systems would have long since detected the movements of our fleet. Relying on this method of setting sail at night, you can’t fool anyone,” Lütjens said with some annoyance. “So in terms of surprise attacks, a fleet can’t compare to the convenience of a submarine.”

The two German fleets, including the supply ships, had nearly 50 large and small vessels. For such a massive fleet to leave port, perhaps only a blind man would fail to notice. As long as British and American spies hid a pair of binoculars on a nearby beach, they could easily know when the German fleet was leaving.

An even cruder method was to arrange for a few submarines to lie in wait outside the port. They didn’t need to sink the opponent; just reporting the news of the German fleet’s departure would be more than worth it. If Germany did not come out in full force, but only sent a small-scale fleet, then against the old naval power of Britain, it would be no different from serving up a dish. It might even be a case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it. At that time, it would truly not be worth the loss.

“Since the raiding fleet, which was acting as bait, has already disengaged from the combat area, then there’s nothing for us to wait for. Maintain the fleet’s alert in the direction of danger and begin to return to base,” Lütjens said with resignation, moving from his command position towards the door. “I’m going to the deck to have a look. You continue to carry out your orders according to the regulations.”

War, especially naval war, is not a thrilling life-or-death struggle every time you set sail. Not every time you charge aggressively towards the enemy will you be able to get the decisive battle you dream of. Most of the time, it is patiently waiting, searching, searching, and waiting on the vast, boundless sea.

In fact, the pressure faced by the British naval commander, Dudley Pound, was not small. Many naval generals were demanding that he carry out Britain’s tradition of engaging the enemy on sight. They felt that they should engage the German Navy in a full-scale naval battle to end this long and costly struggle for the sea lanes.

But Dudley Pound was more willing to wait, to wait for an opportunity that was more favorable to the Royal Navy. The three converted light carriers that the United States was building for Britain were almost complete. Once these three carriers entered service, along with the Royal Navy’s own carrier, the Ark Royal, which had survived death many times, the British fleet would once again have a superiority in both quantity and quality over the German Navy. At that time, it would be more certain to engage in a decisive battle.

In his view, if the British Navy were to lose its composure now and rashly engage the German Navy, it might once again be taken advantage of by the German naval air arm, which would put the British royal family in an isolated and helpless position on Iceland and would also greatly delay Britain’s counter-attack on the homeland.

And so, this old British naval veteran had suppressed all plans to send out the fleet for a decisive battle, obediently waiting for the three light carriers that the U.S. Navy had prepared for Britain. As long as these carriers entered the British naval sequence, then after a little training, the British fleet would dare to once again press the German Navy back into its ports. Because in terms of the number of battleships and the number of warships, Germany was still at an absolute disadvantage.

Lütjens walked helplessly up the steel stairs, listening to the clanging sound under his feet. This was his fleet’s only opportunity to sortie in a month, and the result was still no significant combat gains, which made him a little dejected. After all, the entire plan had been proposed by him, so the lack of results should also be his responsibility.

A small part of the entire fleet’s fuel was stored in the port of Liverpool, another part in the Netherlands, and the majority in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. But all of this fuel was a strategic reserve for future naval operations and could not be used at will by Lütjens. As for the supplementary fuel, it had been compressed to a very low level because the German armored forces on the Eastern Front were fiercely attacking the Caucasus region.

After all, Germany was a continental country. Even if it had been lucky enough to defeat the world’s most powerful maritime nation at the beginning of the war, it was still a continental country. The entire Third Reich’s established national policy was based on victory on land, so this determined that no matter how glorious the combat results, its navy could only exist as a supporting player. Even in Akado’s mind, the German Navy was only the first line of defense of the Atlantic Wall, not the lifeblood of the nation.

Germany’s meddling in Gibraltar, its advance on the Suez Canal, and its transformation of the important Mediterranean into an Axis lake were all for the ultimate purpose of consolidating its land resources. As for counting on the German Navy to contend for world naval supremacy, this was an idea that Akado would only consider as the icing on the cake after victory. He would never delay a single army expansion plan for the sake of developing the navy.

So, Lütjens’s naval fleet, after its glory, had once again become a “fleet in being.” Its limited sorties were for the purpose of combat training and were by no means intended to achieve any significant combat results. Akado also knew that for the German Navy, with its current strength, to try and stir up trouble on the American East Coast was a bit of a pipe dream. A sneak attack once or twice might succeed, but once they were blocked by American land-based air power, then Germany, like the Japanese Navy, would lose a large batch of pilots.

And Lütjens himself knew very well that the Führer’s requirements for the carrier fleet were actually very simple: don’t make any major mistakes, preserve your strength, expand steadily, and don’t look for trouble. To put it bluntly, it was to stay put and honestly guard Germany’s western flank while the German army was fighting the Eastern Front campaign.

“In the end, Dönitz’s submarine fleet is still more economical and practical,” Lütjens said with some sourness, standing on the deck of his flagship carrier and watching the ground crew meticulously cleaning and maintaining the precious fighter planes. The mission of storming fortresses and taking cities ultimately belongs to the aircraft carrier. The business of stabbing in the back in secret should be left to the submarine force.

This German carrier commander looked up at the slightly gray sky, then closed his eyes in the cold wind. The sea breeze caressed his face. The feeling of the sea breeze on his face when he first stepped onto a warship was something he had never been able to forget.

On the German docks, two brand-new aircraft carriers were still under construction. In the naval base, hundreds of thousands of aviation cadets were practicing their skills every day. The German Navy was now just a “fleet in being,” but in the future, it would definitely become a pivotal force in the world’s navies.

Thinking of this, Lütjens smiled. He had achieved what his fathers had not been able to do, leading the German fleet to defeat the Royal Navy. The rest should be left to the next generation to complete, to fulfill the dream he had not been able to fulfill: to have the German Navy dominate the world.

On the bridge, the adjutant in charge of commanding the fleet was giving one order after another: “Fleet, turn to port, course due east… Launch the second wave of patrol planes… Air command, confirm the position of the first wave of reconnaissance planes… Break radio silence… Send the contact signal to the raiding squadron!”

The massive fleet once again adjusted its course. The sea was cut by the sharp bows of the ships. Everything was as usual. The German fleet returned safely to port. The Atlantic Wall remained as solid as a rock. The existence of this fleet was like a sharp longsword, hanging over the hearts of all its enemies.

“When the oil fields of the Caucasus, the oil fields of the Middle East, have all become resources controlled by the Third Reich, then the German fleet will engage in a real battle on the endless sea,” Lütjens said with longing. “I hope I can see the day when the Navy of the Third Reich dominates all the oceans.”

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